The invention relates to a method for production of an antenna section, which has hydrophones at a distance from one another, for an underwater antenna which can be assembled from a plurality of antenna sections, of the generic type defined in the precharacterizing clause of claim 1.
A known underwater antenna (DE 195 18 461 C1), which is in the form of a towed array, comprises a plurality of towed array sections whose section ends are adjacent to one another. Each towed array section has a plurality of hydrophones which are arranged in a row one behind the other at a constant distance from one another, are accommodated in a flexible tube, which can bend elastically and is composed of polyethylene, and are fixed in their position at a distance from one another and at a distance from the flexible tube wall by a gel which is adhesively bonded to them. The hydrophones are connected to the signal line and to electrical lines which are used for supplying power and are composed of copper or are in the form of optical fibers, which are passed out of the towed array section at the section ends for connection to the next towed array section. In order to produce a towed array section, the hydrophones associated with it are fixed at the precise longitudinal distance from one another in a very coarse nylon mesh with a small number of relatively elastic longitudinal threads. The so-called element skeleton that is produced in this way is floated into the flexible tube together with the still liquid gel, with measures being taken to fix the hydrophones centrally in the flexible tube while being adhesively bonded to the gel. Measures such as these may, for example, comprise the flexible tube being rotated during the adhesive bonding of the gel, so that the skeleton is aligned centrally, or comprise soft, thin bristles being arranged on the skeleton, which are supported on the inner wall of the flexible tube and thus ensure that the hydrophones are centralized.
The invention is based on the object of specifying a method, which is cost-effective from the production engineering point of view, for production of an antenna section, by means of which the hydrophones can be mounted with accurate tolerances with respect to the antenna section.